Special Educational Needs Specialist Service (SENSS)

The SEN specialist service aims to:

1. Provide specialist assessment, teaching and advice for pupils with specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia) and the broader range of special educational needs (SEN)
2. Promote awareness and understanding through excellent and informed training and practice
3. Develop confident, independent learning in partnership with schools, other professionals and parents

The service 

The service is currently staffed by 22 specialist teachers.  All are qualified teachers with a wide range of special educational experience, both in mainstream and special schools and have a range of post graduate qualifications in the field of special educational needs.

There are two area teams, based at Cedar House, Ferndown, in the east and Monkton Park, Winterborne Monkton, in the West of Dorset.

Access to the service is always through referral from the school.

Service delivery

SENSS provides specialist professional support to pupils, schools and the local authority (LA) in respect of the full spectrum of specific learning difficulties to include dyslexia, language disorder, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, asperger's syndrome and mild autism, plus the broader range of special educational needs,  The service offered to schools range from support for individual pupils through to whole-school approaches to inclusion.

Ways of working

• Advice on the inclusion of learners with specific learning difficulties
• Advice on the nature, identification and implications of specific learning difficulties
• Effective preventative provision; intervention, methods, strategies and resources
• Diagnostic assessment for the identification of specific learning difficulties
• Specialist teaching programme planning
• Special arrangements for public examinations
• Monitoring and evaluation of pupil progress
• Specialist teaching for individual pupils or small groups
• Delivery of specialist advisory packages on behalf of the local authority for pupils with specific learning difficulties/complex literacy/language communication needs and who have a statement of Special Educational Needs

Professional development training 

The service offers training programmes, ranging from half day to short course equivalent on topics related to the support and inclusion of pupils with specific learning difficulties.  In addition, SENSS offer a wide range of central training, including specialist teacher training courses (OCR accredited).  SENSS also provides the Every Child A Reader (ECAR) suite of courses including Reading Recovery and a range of introductory and awareness training. 

• Deputy Head of Service (East), SENSS
  Name: Kitty Huthwaite
  Email: k.j.huthwaite@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01202 870130
  Full details for Kitty Huthwaite
• Deputy Head of Service (West), SENSS
  Name: Gill Howard
  Email: g.howard@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 228300
  Full details for Gill Howard
• Head of Service (SENSS)
  Name: Mrs Gerri Kemp
  Email: g.kemp@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 228300
  Full details for Mrs Gerri Kemp